Salsa School: Salsa Roja
What salsa roja is, how to make it your own, and three recipes to get you started
Salsa roja means red salsa.
It isn’t one recipe, and there isn’t one authentic version. It’s a category of salsas that can be raw or cooked, smooth or chunky, mild or extremely hot.
The only real requirement is that the finished salsa is red, even just a little.
That red might come from ripe tomatoes, dried chiles, fresh red chiles, fruit, beets, Jamaica (hibiscus flowers) or a combination of all of them. The salsa can also contain green ingredients. Tomatoes blended with green serranos are still salsa roja. So is a salsa made with tomatillos and enough guajillo or chile de árbol to turn it red.
That means there are nearly endless ways to make one. So how do you decide what kind of salsa roja you want? Think of it like a choose-your-own- adventure recipe.
These six things will help you make the salsa roja that’s perfect for you and whatever you’re going to put it on.
1. Decide what makes it red
This is the ingredient, or group of ingredients, that’ll make up most of the salsa.
Usually, it’s tomatoes. But it could be tomato and tomatillo, red plums, watermelon, prickly pear, berries, dragonfruit, or a combination of some or all of them.
If it’s the middle of winter and every fresh tomato at the store is hard and flavorless, definitely use canned tomatoes. Whole, diced, and fire-roasted tomatoes all work. Boil them for at least 10 minutes, or drain them and sauté them in olive oil or lard until they soften and get a little color. Add the juices back in and reduce to the consistency you like then smash or blend at the end.
2. Choose the heat
Now decide how spicy you want your salsa to be and what kind of chile flavor you want. Chile heat can vary dramatically, so use this guide to pick and choose what sounds good to you.
Fresh chiles, roughly from mild to hot:
Jalapeño: Grassy and vegetal, with medium heat.
Fresno: Fruity and slightly sweet, with medium heat.
Serrano: Bright and grassy, with medium high heat.
Habanero: Floral and tropical, with intense heat.
Mild dried chiles for color, flavor, and body:
Ancho: Dark, fruity, earthy, and mild.
Guajillo: Bright, fruity, slightly acidic, and mild.
Ancho and guajillo won’t make the salsa spicy, but they will give you a gorgeous red color, dried-chile flavor, body, and texture. If you don’t have whole dried chiles, use a few teaspoons of ground ancho or guajillo chile powder.
Dried and preserved chiles for heat:
Morita: Fruity and smoky, with medium heat. (A morita is a small, ripe jalapeño that’s been smoked and dried.)
Chipotle in adobo (canned): Smoky and tangy, with medium heat. (A chipotle is a larger, ripe jalapeño that’s been smoked and dried, then rehydrated and cooked in adobo sauce.)
Chile de árbol: Bright, sharp, and very hot.
Chiltepín: Fruity and extremely hot, with a burn that fades pretty quick.
Pantry options:
Hot paprika: Warm and fruity, with mild-to-medium heat and a flavor similar to guajillo.
Crushed red pepper flakes: Hot, with a slightly fruity, chiltepín-like chile flavor.
Cayenne: Almost pure heat, with little flavor.
I love using a mix of chiles in my salsas, like serrano and jalapeño, chiltepín and guajillo, or habanero and chile de árbol. And if it isn’t fully clear, I love heat.
3. Give it some bite
Now choose onion, garlic, both, or neither.
Raw onion and garlic give the salsa a sharper flavor. Cooked onion and garlic become softer and less aggressive. Roast, char, or caramelize them, and they’ll become smoky and sweet.
White onion is standard in Mexico, but the allium family is enormous. Use what you like or what you already have: spring onions, scallions, chives, shallots, garlic scapes, or even leeks. You don’t need to go to the store because a recipe says “white onion.”
If you don’t want or can’t eat onion or garlic, try:
Radish or daikon: Sharpness and crunch.
Jícama or celery: Moisture, freshness, and crunch.
Roasted fennel or roasted bell pepper: Sweetness, softness, and body.
Roasted mushrooms or miso: Savory depth.
Asafoetida: Onion-and-garlic-like pungency. Use one small pinch, about 1/16 teaspoon, for 2 cups of salsa.
4. Balance it
This is where your personal sazón really starts to grow and show. Taste the salsa, then decide what you want to add.
Depth
Without enough salt, you won’t fully taste the tomato, chile, onion, or anything else. You can use salt by itself, combine it with one of the ingredients below, or skip the plain salt and use one of these instead. They’re all salty, but each brings a completely different flavor.
Jugo Maggi: Dark, roasted, malty, and slightly sweet, with a flavor similar to soy sauce.
Soy sauce: Roasted, malty, and fermented.
Fish sauce: Anchovies, fermentation, and funk. Start with a small amount because you’ll definitely taste it.
Chicken bouillon: Chicken flavor and umami, especially good in cooked salsas.
MSG: Intensifies the umami already present in tomatoes and chiles. A little added to roasted tomatoes can make them almost impossible to stop eating.
Queso Cotija: Dry, tangy, and slightly milky.
Feta: Tangy, briny, and slightly funky.
Parmesan: Nutty and aged, with plenty of umami.
Cheese will also make the salsa more substantial and change its texture, so it’s doing more than just seasoning it.
Brightness
Acid sharpens flavor and balances sweetness and fat. Here are several ways to add brightness and acidity, each with its own flavor.
Lime, lemon, or sour orange: Floral, fruity, and slightly sweet.
Vinegar: Sharper, harsher, and more aggressive than citrus. Add slowly, about a teaspoon at a time, then taste and add more.
Jalapeño or other chile escabeche brine: Chile-, garlic-, herb-, and spice-flavored vinegar.
Giardiniera or other pickled-vegetable brine: Vegetal and herby, usually with less heat than chile brine.
Tomatillo or tart fruit: A rounder, more seamless acidity. One tomatillo or sour plum can make tomatoes taste more tomatoey without making the salsa taste fruity.
Don’t add lime automatically. If the salsa already has ripe, peak-season tomatoes, tomatillos, or tart fruit, it may not need any more acid.
Richness
Fat adds weight, body, and a smoother mouthfeel. More importantly, it tames the chile’s heat. If your salsa is too spicy, stir in oil, crema, or another fatty ingredient. Oil can also soften harsh or too much acidity.
Olive oil: Adds grassy or peppery flavor.
Neutral oil: Adds little flavor.
Lard: Roasted pork flavor.
Nut or seed oil: The distinct flavor of whichever nut or seed it’s made from.
Crema or sour cream: Tangy, cultured dairy flavor.
Heavy cream: Mild, slightly sweet dairy flavor without the tang of crema.
Avocado: Buttery, vegetal flavor and a thicker texture.
Nuts and seeds: Toasted flavor, texture, and thickening power.
Freshness
Cilantro isn’t the only herb used in Mexico. And there are no herb police. So use whatever herb you like or already have: basil, parsley, mint, lemon balm, tarragon, epazote, hoja santa, or another tender, leafy herb. I’d avoid woody herbs like rosemary or thyme in a fresh salsa. But if you love them, use them. It’s your kitchen.
5. Raw or cooked?
Do you need salsa in five minutes, or do you have an hour?
If you’ve got ripe, peak-season tomatoes or fruit with an enormous amount of flavor, don’t do anything to them. Let their flavor shine. Put everything into the blender, season it, and you’ll have salsa in five minutes.
If your tomatoes are hard, mealy, and flavorless, and you don’t have canned tomatoes, you definitely need to cook them.
Here are your options:
Simmer or boil: Softens the ingredients and makes the onion, garlic, and chiles less aggressive without browning them.
Roast: Reduces moisture, concentrates flavor, caramelizes the sugars, and adds sweetness.
Char: Adds smoky, blackened, bitter flavors.
Fry the ingredients: Sautée the tomatoes, chiles, onion, or garlic in butter, oil or lard to soften and brown them, caramelize their sugars, reduce their moisture, and concentrate their flavor.
Fry the finished salsa: Blend or smash it first, then fry it in oil or lard. This cooks off water and emulsifies the salsa so it holds together instead of separating.
You can also combine methods. Char half of the tomatoes and leave the other half raw. The charred tomatoes give you smoky, blackened flavor, while the raw tomatoes keep their fresh sweetness, acidity, and juice.
You can echo the flavors of the food you’re serving or create a contrast. With smoked brisket, a charred salsa will push the smoke even further. A raw salsa will cut through it with freshness. Both work. They just create different flavor experiences.
6. Smooth or chunky?
Soft foods like birria, barbacoa, refried beans, or scrambled eggs often benefit from the crunch of a chopped salsa. Crisp or dry foods like milanesa, fried fish, chicharrón, or crunchy tacos usually need something smoother and more liquid to add moisture and help the big bite go down more easily.
Choose the texture:
Smooth: Blend it so it pours, spreads, and coats the food.
Smashed: Crush it in a molcajete, mortar and pestle, or a bowl with a potato masher to make a chunky salsa.
Chopped: Cut everything into small pieces to make a pico de gallo-like salsa that adds texture to whatever you’re eating.
A blended salsa doesn’t have to be completely smooth. Pulse it if you want some texture.
Never blend above medium-low speed. Higher speeds incorporate air, making the salsa pale, foamy, and smoothie-like. They can also cause tomatillo and some fruit salsas to thicken or gel as they sit. Nobody likes salsa jelly!
Now Make It
Here are three recipes to try: raw and chopped, simmered and blended, or charred and smashed. Pick the one that sounds best to you or make all three!
Aguacate Ahumado
Spicy Avocado
Raw and chopped.
Tomato, avocado, and chipotle in adobo.
Makes 1½ cups
2 medium Roma tomatoes (8.6 ounces/246 grams), chopped
1 medium avocado (6 ounces/170 grams), peeled, pitted, and chopped
¼ medium white onion (3.1 ounces/89 grams)
5 chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.14 ounce/4 grams), plus more to taste
In a medium bowl, gently stir together the tomatoes, avocado, onion, chipotles, and salt until completely combined. Taste and season with more salt if desired. Let sit, uncovered, for about 10 minutes so the flavors can meld.
Do ahead: The salsa can be made up to 1 day ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Serving suggestions: On a cold-cut sandwich, fried chicken sandwich, Torta Milanesa, Tostadas de Tinga de Pollo, onion smash burger, grilled cheese, steak or chicken fajitas, Sonoran-Style Hot Dogs, or with a bowl of plantain chips.
La Mañanera
The Morning Salsa
Simmered and blended.
Stewed tomato, tomatillo, onion, and chile de árbol.
In this salsa, the tomatoes and chiles de árbol keep the finished salsa red. The tomatillos add acidity and fruity notes that make the tomatoes taste brighter and more tomatoey.
Makes 2 cups
2 medium Roma tomatoes (9.2 ounces/261 grams), cored and left whole
3 medium tomatillos (7.4 ounces/211 grams), husked and rinsed
¼ medium white onion (3.1 ounces/89 grams)
6 fresh or dried chiles de árbol (0.2 ounce/6 grams), stemmed and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled but whole
1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.21 ounce/6 grams), plus more to taste
In a medium saucepan, combine ½ cup water, the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and chiles de árbol and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the tomatoes have softened and are just holding their shape, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate to cool and reserve the cooking liquid.
Working in batches, use a blender and purée the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, chiles de árbol, and garlic on low speed until the salsa is almost smooth but some pieces remain. Thin the salsa with cooking liquid if desired. Alternatively, use a molcajete or mortar and pestle, or a medium bowl with a potato masher, large spoon, or forks, to smash and grind the ingredients until a chunky but pourable salsa forms.
Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the salt. Taste and season with more salt if desired.
Do ahead: The salsa can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Serving suggestions: All breakfast tacos and any food in need of a bright and spicy pick-me-up. This pairs very well with anything made of masa: tamales, tostadas, tacos, and huaraches. Also a great way to zhuzh up canned beans, or use in cooking broth.
La Molcajeteada
Molcajete-Made Salsa
Charred and smashed.
Charred tomato, onion, serrano, and jalapeño.
Makes 2 cups
4 medium Roma tomatoes (1 pound/453 grams), cored and left whole
¼ medium white onion (3.1 ounces/89 grams)
2 chiles serranos (1.3 ounces/38 grams), stemmed
1 chile jalapeño (1 ounce/31 grams), stemmed
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems (0.14 ounce/4 grams)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus more to taste
1½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.21 ounce/6 grams), plus more to taste
Line a large cast-iron skillet with a sheet of foil and heat the skillet over high until very hot. Add the tomatoes, onion, serranos, jalapeño, and garlic and cook, using tongs to turn occasionally, until everything is charred on all sides, about 3 minutes for the garlic, 4 to 5 minutes for the chiles, 6 to 8 minutes for the onion, and 8 to 10 minutes for the tomatoes. Alternatively, arrange an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler to high. Arrange the vegetables on a foil-lined sheet pan and roast under the broiler, turning occasionally, until all sides are charred. Transfer to a plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the garlic.
Working in batches, use a molcajete or mortar and pestle, or a medium bowl with a potato masher, large spoon, or forks, to smash and grind the tomatoes, onion, serranos, jalapeño, and garlic until a chunky but pourable salsa forms. Alternatively, use a blender and purée on low speed until the salsa is almost smooth but some pieces remain.
Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Taste and season with more salt and lime juice if desired.
Do ahead: The salsa can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Serving suggestions: Great with anything grilled, anything inside a taco, fried seafood, and even raw vegetables. Use anywhere you would ketchup, if you’re into a little kick.
I hope you found this guide useful. My sincerest wish is that you have fun and explore.
One of the reasons I love making salsa, and why I decided to write an entire book about it, is that I’ve seen so many people in Mexico, particularly little kids, make salsa for family parties, birthdays, weddings, and other gatherings.
When a nine-year-old walks into the kitchen and starts making salsa, there are no constraints. They aren’t bound by conventions or rules. No one is saying, “Don’t add that. That doesn’t belong in salsa. That’s not how you make it.”
They have this unbridled creativity, which, to me, is one of the most exhilarating and freeing feelings you can have in the kitchen. The sky’s the limit. You’re throwing things into a bowl and seeing whether they taste good.
Even better is when that kid takes the salsa to the family party, and their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins taste it and are blown away by their creation. Suddenly, that nine-year-old looks as though they’ve just won an Oscar for best salsa.
That’s what I want for you. Take these recipes, change the ingredients, have fun, make them your own, and make someone smile with your food.
For more salsa tips, tricks, hacks, and creative recipes, check out Salsa Daddy, my book dedicated to salsa and the easy weeknight Mexican recipes to pair with them.
If these three salsa recipes made you hungrier, there are more than 190 recipes in the archive waiting for you on the paid side of Sazón, with a new one added every week and a live cooking class every month.
A paid subscription is $50 for the year. That works out to about 26 cents per recipe, before you even count the new recipes and classes.
If this kind of cooking makes you happy, you know what to do.
Rick Martínez
James Beard Award winner, Mexican cookbook author, and creator of Sazón, my weekly Mexican cooking newsletter with Mexican recipes, cooking techniques, original dishes, and deep-dive guides from my life in Mexico.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy something through them, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That commission helps me keep cooking, testing, photographing, filming, writing, and sharing Sazón with you.
Fabulous tour thru the land of red salsa! Thanks!